Hello there! I really enjoy playing a ranger. However I and many could enjoy it more by making it a more active profession. Here is how I would do it:
Weapons
All our weapons should have a skill that also gives our pet a special thing. For this:
- Greatsword: Crippling Throw
Your pet immobilizes enemy on it’s next attack for 1 second.
- Axe (Off hand): Path of Scars
Your pet gains Attack of Opportunity(150% damage on next attack).
- Dagger: Stalker’s Strike
Your pet’s next attack inflicts torment.
- Torch: Throw Torch
Your pet’s next attack cripples.
- Warhorn: Hunter’s Call
Your pet’s next attack will inflict 3 stacks of vulnerability.
- Spear: Dart
Your pet will also do a leap finisher.
Other weapons pretty much have an effect on our pets.
Signets
- Signet of the Hunt
Active: Your pet’s next 5 attacks deal more damage.(Attack of Opportunity)
- Signet of Renewal
Active: Removes all conditions from pet, if the pet is dead, revives it.
- New Signet on elite slot: Signet of Symbiosis.
Passive: Any boon your pet gets is shared with you. Does not stack itself with Fortifying Bond.
Active: Merge with pet to gain new skills dependent on the pet’s family and F2.
Spirits
- Sun Spirit: Solar Flare
You and allies near you inflict blind on your next attack.
- Frost Spirit: Cold Snap
You and allies near you inflict chill on your next attack.
Shouts
- Guard
Does not grant stealth to pet anymore. Protection reduced to 6 seconds. Not an AoE skill anymore, you basically tell your pet to protect itself from incoming damage for a short duration.
- Search and Rescue
Recharge time reduced to 60 seconds.
Traits
+ Marksmanship
-Opening Strike and Alpha training merged.
-Piercing Arrows and Spotter merged.
-Signet of the beastmaster moved to Master tier.
-Predator’s Instinct: Now you and your pet both deal 1.25 seconds of cripple.
-Precise Strike moved to 15.
-Remorseless moved to 25.
-Eagle Eye: 5% more damage on 500-1000 range, 10% more damage on 1000-1500 range.
-Trait no. 11: Longbow and shortbow has 10% increased chance to do critical hit.
-Honed Axes as 12: Axe deals 10% more critical damage in main hand. 5% more critical damage in offhand.
+ Skirmishing
-Primal Reflexes recharge time reduced to 10 seconds.
-Trappers Expertise and Off-hand Training swapped.
-Trap Potency moved Wilderness Survival 11.
-Moment of Clarity now gives Attack of Opportunity for 2 attacks.
-Trait no. 9: Your pet has a 33% chance to inflict 2 stacks of vulnerability.
-Trait no. 11: Chance to gain fury on critical hit. 5 second fury duration, 20% chance, 15 second recharge time.
+ Wilderness Survival
-Emphatic Bond moved to 10.
-Martial Mastery merged with Two-Handed Training. Stays in Nature Magic line.
-Bark Skin: Condition damage endured by pet while you are below 10% health.
Pet takes 25% less damage from all sources below 25% health.
+ Nature Magic
-Bountiful Hunter: You and your pet deal more damage according to each boon you have. Increases damage by 2% per boon you have.
-Fortifying Bond: Does not stack itself with Signet of Symbiosis.
-Nature’s Vengeance and Spirits Unbound merged into 7.
-Spiritual Cleanse as new 11: Your next healing skill used will cleanse 5 conditions below 75% health. 90 second recharge time.
+Beastmastery
-Empathy now increases 2 by each point you invest in this line.
-Master’s Bond: Now protects the bonuses if the pet is stowed.
-Rending Attacks, Stability Training, Intimidation Training all merged into one trait.
-Zephyr’s Speed moved to 8.
-Trait no. 9: Lick Wounds will be available instantly when you are downed. Recharge time 45 seconds.
-Trait no. 11: Your pet has increased endurance regeneration.
I hope I didn’t leave empty places while making decisions with trait placements!
General Mechanics
- F1 is now used both to send pet to attack and make them get away from the fight. First F1 send, second F1 get away.
- Pet now has an endurance bar near it. Pressing F3 makes it dodge just like you do.
- All trap skills now give a buff to pet when activated, increasing the damage pet does to the enemies that activated traps for 5 seconds.
- Pet skills should become softer, and shouldn’t randomly take their recharge times.
- Pet’s should benefit slightly from their master’s stats.
None of this might end up implementing to game and many of them might be imbalanced. However this is a way that how rangers should be seen in my opinion. Those who would protect their pets to the end should get rewarded and rangers will have a reliable way to do it so. Some of these things should have already been suggested by many before.